June 26, 2009

Exclusive Porn Star Interview: Mark Dalton

Porn superstar Mark Dalton hasn’t stepped onto a stage to perform in three years. He’s had a few well-documented ups and downs during the time he’s been away (or on “my little vacation,” as he refers to it), but when I ask the 29-year-old bodybuilder how he’s been, he answers, “I’ve been good, real good.” Our last interview was seven years ago, but his sexy Southern drawl is still intact. So is the easy laugh and the good manners that Southerners are known for. And this Texas native is no exception. But there’s something else. Could it be that porn’s golden boy has actually grown up? As we catch up, a wiser and more thoughtful Dalton begins to emerge. Maybe that’s what a “little vacation” accomplishes.

Actually, Dalton sounds excited more than anything else to be hitting the road for his Busting Out All Over Tour, which reunites him with longtime handler David Forest and kicks off at Splash in New York on July 24. “I love Splash,” he says. “It’s one of my favorite clubs to hang out in and work in.” And just in case anyone thinks he might be rusty at the old bump and grind, Dalton reassures, “It’s been a while since I’ve been on stage, but I’m sure I can still move what I need to move and shake what I need to shake!”

Shake it, indeed. Dalton first made a name for himself in the porn industry about eight years ago in several memorable solo scenes and muscle-worship videos before dabbling in harder territory. But questions about his sexuality and his willingness to “go all the way” on film dogged him. And even though the years have passed, the questions remain. Fans continue to hope for a full-fledged scene from the stud, but Dalton still doesn’t sound exactly eager. His last movie was Mark Meets Zeb: The Texas Two-Step in 2007, and he says it left him a bit leery. “I wasn’t too pleased with the Zeb Atlas movie,” he says. “Making it was okay, but I wrote the screenplay and choreographed my scenes and got no credit for it. Let’s just say that a lot of factors didn’t work out as planned.”

But Dalton doesn’t seem upset and takes it in stride. “I don’t miss movies,” he says. “I enjoy the club appearances and meeting the fans. I can be kinda shy on a day-to-day basis, but put me in front of an audience and something comes out of me.”

Would he call that his exhibitionist streak? “Sure,” he laughs. “I get a little twinkle in my eye!”

That twinkle will soon take him far from his home near Dallas, where he spends the bulk of his time with family. “There’s nothing better than that,” he says. Besides hitting the gym five days a week, the now heavily tattooed Dalton cares for his animals (fish, two rabbits, a snake and a possum), does chores and works for a company that his father owns. “I’m chill,” he says. “I just like to hang out at home.”

Considering that he’s recently been incarcerated for almost two years, home is a welcome alternative. “It was bad,” he says quietly of the prison experience. “The guards treat you like trash. The other inmates test you. The place…well, let’s just say it wasn’t up to my standards of living. Everyone thought they were strong and tough. There were gangs. So I lifted weights to pass the time. And I even won a weightlifting competition in there! Out of 2,000 people, I won it! Got a little blue ribbon and everything.” You can hear the pride in his voice. “But it also gave me time to think about decisions I made in my life and to regroup. And my family was there for me through it all. My mom and daughter came to visit me every weekend.”

So there is another reason for Dalton’s newfound maturity: Since our last interview, he has been married, divorced and is now father to a three-year-old daughter. “She is absolutely beautiful,” he gushes. “She has big blue eyes. We go to the zoo, the water park, ride horses. She’s my heart.”

Though he is currently single, Dalton hopes that will change someday. “But I’m in no rush,” he says. When the subject turns to his sexuality, he sighs. He’s covered this ground before. “I’m straight,” he says. “I have never said that in an interview before, but I am.” So how did he make his scenes with Atlas and others so convincing? “I’m just a good actor!” he jokes. “But having sex on film is not a priority for me. I mean, I don’t wanna do straight porn either. I would consider doing a movie if the right deal came along and I had more control, but basically I’m a private person.”

So how does he plan on keeping the interest of his faithful audience? “I’ll do some shows, some cam stuff, work on my Web site [www.markdaltonxxx.com],” he says. “Look, people like to push buttons. They say, ‘People are gonna quit caring about you if you don’t do porn.’ It doesn’t bother me much. I am what I am and I do what I do. People are gonna like what I do or not. That’s all.”

About Vincent Lambert

Vincent Lambert is a New York–based journalist, blogger and photographer who has covered the adult-entertainment industry since 1996. He has written for numerous publications, including Adult Video News, GAYVN, XBIZ, Adam Gay Film & Video Directory, Unzipped, Freshmen, Men, Latin Inches, Black Inches, All-Man, Manshots, Inside Porn and HX. Lambert has interviewed some of gay porn’s brightest stars—such as Jeff Stryker, Ryan Idol and Zeb Atlas—and reported on a variety of events, including Will Clark’s Bad Boys Pool Party and the Gay Erotic Expo. He also served as a judge for the GAYVN Awards for 12 years. In 2006, Lambert stepped behind the camera to write and direct his first scene, titled “Sex Party for Two,” for Lucas Entertainment’s “Encounters 2: The Point of No Return.” In 2007, he created his popular site VincentLambert.com, which features news, gossip and information. His short stories appear in three books from German publisher Bruno Gmünder. E-mail him at VincentLambertNYC@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @VinceLambertNYC.